Force India can keep up the momentum: Nico Hulkenberg

Force India, one of the smaller teams, have made a strong start to the Formula One season. After four races, the team is in third spot in the constructor's championship and Nico Hulkenberg is in fourth position in the driver's standings. Huleknberg speaks to Gaurav Kalra about his team's season so far and their goals. Excerpts:

Nico, it's been a solid start for both you and the team. What do you attribute the results to? The team has worked extremely hard over the winter and produced a great car. We also have a strong engine partner in Mercedes and it feels like we have utilised our opportunities.

Can you give us some insight into the changes made to the technical aspects of the car this season? The cars are very different, but the same challenges remain as a driver. We have new aero rules this year and the V6 turbo engines, which makes the cars look and sound quite different.

Can you tell us a bit about how a driver is involved with the engineers and designers in the off-season to ensure the car is in the best possible shape? The main development job for the driver comes during winter testing. It's important to drive consistently to evaluate changes that are made to the car. You need to be very accurate with your feedback and communicate as much information as possible. You also have to explain what will make the car easier to drive and faster at the same time.

From the point of view of the team, what are the goals that were set at the start of the season and do you feel you are on track to achieve them? At the start of the year, the team said it wanted to improve on last year and so far it's going according to plan. We have 54 points from four races and we are third in the teams' standings. Yes, there is a long way to go, but I believe we can keep up the momentum.

The impact of the new rules has been dramatic so far. Can you talk about what difference the new rules have made to Force India? I think new regulations create a reset for all teams. It changes the established order a bit and that is what we've seen this year. I think it has given us a chance to be more competitive than in previous seasons. The team sacrificed a lot last year to concentrate on 2014 and I think it has proved to be a sensible decision.

You are currently in fourth place in the championship, five points behind Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. Do you think you can compete with him in the upcoming races? It's impossible to say. Ferrari are strong and Fernando has beaten me in three out of four races, so it will be a tough fight to catch Fernando.

One of your ambitions must be to get a podium finish this year. It's definitely the goal, but the most important thing is consistency over the year and to make sure we are scoring points at each race.

How would you describe your relationship with your teammate Sergio Perez?

I've always gotten on well with my teammates and Sergio is no different. We don't spend time together away from the track, but we work well together at the track.

The Mercedes team have set the pace this season with their drivers winning each of the races. Do you think a team can challenge them? They were the pre-season favourites and they appear to have a big advantage. I'm sure the other teams will get closer, and we've seen that already, but Mercedes already have a big points lead. It will be difficult to catch them.

How does the team plan to utilise the break in the race calendar before the European leg begins in Spain in the second week of May? The factory is working hard to bring more performance to the car. We had some aero parts in Shanghai and the plan is for some more in Barcelona.

Finally, how disappointed are you that there won't be a 'home Grand Prix' this season with the Indian GP scrapped? Are you hopeful that the race will return on the calendar soon? I've always enjoyed visiting India and we usually go to Mumbai or Delhi a few times during the season. It's a shame there is no race in India because it's a great facility and I always enjoyed racing there. The author is a senior editor at ESPNCricinfo.